Writing, Art, Technology, and Social Media.

Insightful Piece by Hans Augustave

Today’s post is a little different. This piece is written by a supremely talented guy I consider a friend: Hans Augustave. He writes, acts, directs, DJ’s, and has even performed his own one man show. Support this guy! I gave him some crap for not having a blog, but I added links to some of his stuff at the end of this post. Support talented people!

This was before I knew about the worldBefore I realized that Band-aids were meant to be skin-tonedBefore I learned that Flesh in the Crayola box was a reference to a normalcy and not just an actual colorThis was before my first job as a busboyWhere the chief of police in my local town would eat for free with his buddiesAnd yell out: “Watch your wallets” when I walked over to clean their table

This was before my trip to Ivory CoastWhen, after 17 years of life on EarthMy shoulders relaxedAnd I didn’t feel like an “other”

This was before I felt the needTo make up for my imposing stature and hueBy developing an overly gentle and inviting persona

This was before I was referred to as “white”Because being black meant saggy jeans and Ebonics…to both white and black friends and enemies alike

This was before I was considered“One of the good ones”Because of my education and politeness

This was before a Latina ex-girlfiend’s parents told her in SpanishShe’d be messing up the race by having children with me…not realizing I understood every word

This was before Brown, Garner, Diallo, Bell, Louima, Martin, Heyward Jr., Ferguson, Zongo, Stansbury, Graham, Robinson and Gray…just to name a few

This was before anyone had ever called me a “nigger”

This was before the countdown beganWhen the day would get closerTo realizing I was seen as less than human

This was before I didn’t feel normalFor something I was naturally made to beSomething I was BORN to beSomething I didn’t ask to beBut wear proudly and now unashamedly

This was one of the last times I felt Like a person…and I don’t even remember having the picture taken